A Canadian soldier from the NATO-led coalition checks a weapon during a training session in the Taliban stronghold of Arghandab district, Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan. (Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

Canada's military is having a problem with the negligent discharge of weapons, with more than 600 reported incidents over the past two years.

Between April 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, there were 400 convictions for negligent weapon discharges. So far in this recording year, there have been 229 such incidents.

CBC News obtained the documents using an access to information request.

The vast majority of negligent discharges happened during training in Canada, according to the documents.

The problem was first brought to light by the Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) of Canadian Forces and the military claims to be taking it very seriously, fining some soldiers and putting others in detention.

Some of the charges involve little more than shooting a weapon on a firing range before receiving the final OK to do so.

The few serious charges involving injuries or worse have resulted in courts martial.

Despite this, retired colonel Michel Drapeau said these numbers are disturbing.

"This is very, very, very, serious. Having the potential to create casualties among soldiers, and it's something that is preventable, when you have 400 in a given year, there is something out of kilter here and this must be the highest ratio that I know of," Drapeau said.

Bob Bergen, a fellow at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary and a former journalist who covered the Canadian Armed Forces, said the military does what it can to prevent accidental firing of weapons.

"They try to do everything they can to mitigate these and reduce the risk, but let's face it, they have the machines of war," Bergen said.

"The purpose of these machines is to kill people. Yes, they want killers, but what they don't want is … people dying accidentally."

Extreme cases

There have been several extreme cases of negligent discharge of weapons. Cpl. Kevin Megeney, of Truro, N.S., was shot to death by his comrade Matthew Wilcox, of Glace Bay, N.S., while the two served in Afghanistan on March 6, 2007.

They were involved in a game of quick draw. Wilcox was court martialled and sent to prison for four years.

During the Wilcox trial, videos surfaced showing a soldier pointing a pistol at another soldier's head and pulling the trigger. There were no bullets in the gun.

Only a small number of soldiers have been hurt by the accidental firing of guns. But the military says it is taking the problem seriously.

The last published report from the judge advocate general blames the problem on members who are new to the Forces.

Several retired military officers also blame the increase of negligent discharge of weapons on inexperienced soldiers. But others said that due to Canada's involvement in the war in Afghanistan, there is more use of guns, which leads to the possibility of more accidents.

But regardless of the reasons, the judge advocate general says ultimately, the proper handling of weapons remains a leadership and training responsibility.

One retired officer who led Canadian troops in Bosnia said in his six-month command of 1,700 soldiers, there were only a couple of negligent discharges.